The Demographics of Montreal concern population growth and structure for Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The information is analyzed by Statistics Canada and compiled every five years, with the most recent census having taken place in 2021.
Population of Montreal, and Metropolitan Area by year [1] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | City [2] | Island [3] [4] | Metropolitan [2] |
1660 | 407 | ||
1663 | 596 | ||
1666 | 624 | ||
1681 | 1,389 | ||
1700 | 2,969 | ||
1760 | 8,300 | ||
1771 | 9,770 | ||
1781 | 17,945 | ||
1791 | 18,000 | ||
1801 | 9,000 | ||
1811 | 13,300 | ||
1821 | 18,767 | ||
1831 | 27,297 | ||
1841 | 40,356 | ||
1851 | 57,715 | ||
1861 | 90,323 | ||
1871 | 130,022 | 144,044 | 174,090 |
1881 | 176,263 | 193,171 | 223,512 |
1891 | 254,278 | 277,525 | 308,169 |
1901 | 325,653 | 360,838 | 393,665 |
1911 | 490,504 | 554,761 | 594,812 |
1921 | 618,506 | 724,205 | 774,330 |
1931 | 818,577 | 1,003,868 | 1,064,448 |
1941 | 903,007 | 1,116,800 | 1,192,235 |
1951 | 1,021,520 | 1,320,232 | 1,539,308 |
1956 | 1,109,439 | 1,507,653 | 1,745,001 |
1961 | 1,201,559 | 1,747,696 | 2,110,679 |
1966 | 1,293,992 | 1,923,971 | 2,570,985 |
1971 | 1,214,352 | 1,958,595 | 2,743,208 |
1976 | 1,080,545 | 1,869,645 | 2,802,485 |
1981 | 1,018,609 | 1,760,120 | 2,862,286 |
1986 | 1,015,420 | 1,752,361 | 2,921,357 |
1991 | 1,017,666 | 1,775,871 | 3,127,242 |
1996 | 1,016,376 | 1,775,778 | 3,326,447 |
2001 | 1,039,534 | 1,812,723 | 3,426,350 |
2006 | 1,620,693 | 1,854,442 | 3,635,571 |
2011 | 1,649,519 | 1,886,481 | 3,824,221 |
2016 | 1,704,694 | 1,942,044 | 4,098,927 |
2021 | 1,762,949 | 2,004,265 | 4,291,732 |
According to Statistics Canada, at the time of the 2011 Canadian census the city of Montreal proper had 1,649,519 inhabitants. [5] A total of 3,824,221 lived in the Montreal Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) at the same 2011 census, up from 3,635,556 at the 2006 census (within 2006 CMA boundaries), which means a population growth rate of +5.2% between 2006 and 2011. [6] Montreal's 2012-2013 population growth rate was 1.135%, compared with 1.533% for all Canadian CMAs. [7]
In the 2006 census, children under 14 years of age (621,695) constituted 17.1%, while inhabitants over 65 years of age (495,685) numbered 13.6% of the total population. [8]
The current estimate of the Montreal CMA population, as of July 1, 2013, according to Statistics Canada is 3,981,802. [9] According to StatsCan, by 2030, the Greater Montreal Area is expected to number 5,275,000 with 1,722,000 being visible minorities. [10]
According to the 2021 census, some 38.8% of the population of Montreal [11] and 27.2% that of Metro Montreal, [12] are members of a visible minority (non-white) group. [13] Blacks (198,610 persons or 11.5%) contribute to the largest minority group, with Montreal having the 2nd highest number of black people in Canada after Toronto, as well as having the highest concentrations of black people amongst major Canadian cities. [11] Other groups, such as Arabs (141,935 persons or 8.2%), South Asians (79,670 persons or 4.6%), Latin Americans (78,150 persons or 4.5%), and Chinese (56,935 persons or 3.3%) are also large in number. [11] [14] [13] [15] Visible minorities are defined by the Canadian Employment Equity Act as "persons, other than Aboriginals, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour." [16]
Panethnic group | 2021 [11] | 2016 [17] | 2011 [18] | 2006 [19] | 2001 [20] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
European [lower-alpha 1] | 1,038,940 | 60.29% | 1,082,620 | 65.09% | 1,092,465 | 67.74% | 1,171,295 | 73.49% | 784,420 | 76.92% |
African | 198,610 | 11.53% | 171,385 | 10.3% | 147,100 | 9.12% | 122,880 | 7.71% | 68,245 | 6.69% |
Middle Eastern [lower-alpha 2] | 159,435 | 9.25% | 137,525 | 8.27% | 114,780 | 7.12% | 76,910 | 4.83% | 34,035 | 3.34% |
South Asian | 79,670 | 4.62% | 55,595 | 3.34% | 53,515 | 3.32% | 51,255 | 3.22% | 33,310 | 3.27% |
Latin American | 78,150 | 4.54% | 67,525 | 4.06% | 67,160 | 4.16% | 53,970 | 3.39% | 31,190 | 3.06% |
Southeast Asian [lower-alpha 3] | 65,260 | 3.79% | 58,315 | 3.51% | 61,320 | 3.8% | 47,950 | 3.01% | 33,505 | 3.29% |
East Asian [lower-alpha 4] | 64,825 | 3.76% | 61,400 | 3.69% | 52,195 | 3.24% | 52,650 | 3.3% | 25,810 | 2.53% |
Indigenous | 15,315 | 0.89% | 12,035 | 0.72% | 9,510 | 0.59% | 7,600 | 0.48% | 3,555 | 0.35% |
Other [lower-alpha 5] | 23,010 | 1.34% | 16,835 | 1.01% | 14,585 | 0.9% | 9,205 | 0.58% | 5,675 | 0.56% |
Total responses | 1,723,230 | 97.75% | 1,663,225 | 97.57% | 1,612,640 | 97.76% | 1,593,725 | 98.34% | 1,019,735 | 98.1% |
Total population | 1,762,949 | 100% | 1,704,694 | 100% | 1,649,519 | 100% | 1,620,693 | 100% | 1,039,534 | 100% |
Group | 2021 [11] | 2016 [17] | 2011 [18] | 2006 [19] | 2001 [20] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
Visible minority | 668,975 | 38.8% | 568,570 | 34.2% | 510,665 | 31.7% | 414,830 | 26% | 231,760 | 22.7% |
Indigenous | 15,315 | 0.9% | 12,035 | 0.7% | 9,510 | 0.6% | 7,600 | 0.5% | 3,555 | 0.3% |
Population group | Population | % of total population | |
---|---|---|---|
Visible minority [11] | Black | 198,610 | 11.5% |
Arab | 141,935 | 8.2% | |
South Asian | 79,670 | 4.6% | |
Latin American | 78,150 | 4.5% | |
Chinese | 56,935 | 3.3% | |
Southeast Asian | 37,905 | 2.2% | |
Filipino | 27,355 | 1.6% | |
West Asian | 17,500 | 1% | |
Korean | 5,245 | 0.3% | |
Japanese | 2,645 | 0.2% | |
Mixed visible minority | 17,540 | 1% | |
Visible minority, n.i.e. | 5,470 | 0.3% | |
Total visible minority population | 668,975 | 38.8% | |
Indigenous [11] | First Nations | 8,065 | 0.5% |
Métis | 5,705 | 0.3% | |
Inuit | 545 | 0% | |
Other | 1,000 | 0.1% | |
Total Indigenous population | 15,315 | 0.9% | |
European [lower-alpha 1] | 1,038,940 | 60.3% | |
Total responses | 1,723,230 | 97.7% | |
Total population | 1,762,949 | 100% |
Panethnic group | 2021 [21] [12] | 2016 [22] | 2011 [23] | 2006 [24] | 2001 [25] | 1996 [26] [27] | 1981 [26] [27] | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | ||||||
European [lower-alpha 6] | 3,059,895 | 72.74% | 3,070,210 | 76.57% | 2,963,860 | 78.98% | 2,980,280 | 83.05% | 2,911,230 | 86.11% | — | — | — | — | |||||
African | 340,140 | 8.09% | 270,940 | 6.76% | 216,310 | 5.76% | 169,065 | 4.71% | 139,305 | 4.12% | 122,320 | 3.72% | — | — | — | ||||
Middle Eastern [lower-alpha 2] | 285,615 | 6.79% | 220,055 | 5.49% | 172,345 | 4.59% | 113,405 | 3.16% | 79,410 | 2.35% | 73,950 | 2.25% | — | — | — | ||||
Latin American | 137,850 | 3.28% | 110,195 | 2.75% | 98,010 | 2.61% | 75,400 | 2.1% | 53,155 | 1.57% | 46,700 | 1.42% | — | — | — | ||||
South Asian | 121,260 | 2.88% | 85,925 | 2.14% | 79,540 | 2.12% | 70,615 | 1.97% | 57,935 | 1.71% | 37,600 | 1.14% | — | — | — | ||||
East Asian [lower-alpha 4] | 116,820 | 2.78% | 100,265 | 2.5% | 83,420 | 2.22% | 79,665 | 2.22% | 58,165 | 1.72% | 51,930 | 1.58% | — | — | — | ||||
Southeast Asian [lower-alpha 3] | 101,560 | 2.41% | 88,755 | 2.21% | 89,645 | 2.39% | 68,475 | 1.91% | 57,460 | 1.7% | 46,165 | 1.4% | — | — | — | ||||
Indigenous | 46,085 | 1.1% | 34,745 | 0.87% | 26,285 | 0.7% | 17,865 | 0.5% | 11,085 | 0.33% | — | — | — | — | |||||
Other/Multiracial [lower-alpha 5] | 40,565 | 0.96% | 28,710 | 0.72% | 23,060 | 0.61% | 13,755 | 0.38% | 12,900 | 0.38% | 8,360 | 0.25% | — | — | — | ||||
Total: Visible minority | 1,143,810 | 27.2% | 904,845 | 22.6% | 762,330 | 20.3% | 590,380 | 16.5% | 458,330 | 13.5% | — | 12.2% | — | 5.2% | |||||
Total responses | 4,206,455 | 98.01% | 4,009,795 | 97.83% | 3,752,470 | 98.12% | 3,588,520 | 98.71% | 3,380,645 | 98.67% | — | — | — | — | |||||
Total population | 4,291,732 | 100% | 4,098,927 | 100% | 3,824,221 | 100% | 3,635,571 | 100% | 3,426,350 | 100% | — | 100% | — | 100% | |||||
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses |
Ethnic origin | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Canadian | 1,670,655 | 43.8% |
French | 870,245 | 21.7% |
Italian | 279,800 | 7.0% |
Irish | 239,460 | 6.0% |
English | 138,320 | 3.4% |
Haitian | 132,255 | 3.3% |
Scottish | 124,130 | 3.1% |
Chinese | 108,775 | 2.7% |
First Nations | 101,915 | 2.5% |
Québécois | 92,115 | 2.3% |
German | 86,025 | 2.1% |
Algerian | 84,585 | 2.1% |
Moroccan | 77,450 | 1.9% |
Spanish | 68,600 | 1.7% |
Greek | 66,395 | 1.7% |
Lebanese | 68,765 | 1.7% |
Polish | 64,895 | 1.6% |
Portuguese | 56,405 | 1.4% |
Russian | 49,275 | 1.2% |
East Indian | 48,485 | 1.2% |
Romanian | 47,980 | 1.2% |
Vietnamese | 38,660 | 1.0% |
Filipino | 35,685 | 0.9% |
Ukrainian | 35,050 | 0.8% |
Belgian | 31,840 | 0.8% |
2041 [29] [30] [31] [32] | ||
---|---|---|
Population | % | |
European [nb 1] | 3,249,000 | 58.97% |
African | 673,000 | 12.21% |
Middle Eastern [lower-alpha 2] | 597,000 | 10.83% |
East Asian [lower-alpha 4] | 252,000 | 4.57% |
Latin American | 213,000 | 3.87% |
South Asian | 195,000 | 3.54% |
Southeast Asian [lower-alpha 3] | 167,000 | 3.03% |
Indigenous | 87,000 | 1.58% |
Other/multiracial | 76,000 | 1.38% |
Projected Metro Montreal Population | 5,510,000 | 100% |
34,745 Aboriginals live in Montreal. [33]
Montreal is the cultural centre of Quebec, French-speaking Canada and French-speaking North America as a whole, and an important city in the Francophonie. The majority of the population is francophone. Montreal is the largest French-speaking city in North America, and second in the world after Paris when counting the number of native-language Francophones (third after Paris and Kinshasa when counting second-language speakers). The city is a hub for French language television productions, radio, theatre, circuses, performing arts, film, multimedia and print publishing.
Montreal plays a prominent role in the development of French-Canadian and Québécois culture. Its contribution to culture is therefore more of a society-building endeavour rather than limited to civic influence. The best talents from French Canada and even the French-speaking areas of the United States converge in Montreal and often perceive the city as their cultural capital. Montreal is also the most important stop in the Americas for Francophone artists from Europe, Africa and Asia.
The cultural divide between Canada's Francophone and Anglophone culture is strong and was famously referred to as the "Two Solitudes" by Canadian writer Hugh MacLennan. Reflecting their deep-seated colonial roots, the Solitudes were historically strongly entrenched in Montreal, splitting the city geographically at Saint Laurent Boulevard.
Montreal is the focal point of Quebec's English-speaking community. Arriving in waves from the United Kingdom and eventually the entire British Commonwealth, the historical English-speaking community in Montreal includes Quebecers of English, Scottish, and Irish origin (as reflected in the city's flag) as well as Loyalists, escaped slaves, and immigrants from the Caribbean and the Indian subcontinent. [34]
With the advent of mass migration from beyond the confines of the British Empire, the English-speaking community in Montreal expanded to include a huge array of different cultures and ethnic groups. Since Chinese, Jewish, Greek, and other non-Catholic immigrants were barred from attending French-language Catholic schools under the Confessional school system, they attended English-language Protestant schools instead and became acculturated into the English-speaking community. This trend was boosted by the Catholic Church's policy, called la Revanche des berceaux or the "Revenge of the Cradle", of encouraging French-Canadians to maintain a very high birth-rate in order to bolster the community's demographic weight in Canada. This policy, along with the Church's traditional mistrust of entrepreneurship and the business world, caused French-Canadians in Quebec to remain largely poor and rural while shunning immigration in an attempt to resist assimilation. Immigrants who arrived prior to the Quiet Revolution therefore largely assimilated into the increasingly diverse English-speaking community in Montreal, while the city's French-speaking community remained largely white, French, and Catholic, growing through high birth rates and migration from the countryside rather than immigration. [35] [36]
During the Quiet Revolution, French Quebecers left the Church en masse and birth rates fell drastically as they began to question the Duplessis-era establishment's legitimacy. [37] This awakening coincided with the arrival of a massive wave of Italian immigrants who, despite being Catholic, demanded English-language training and bilingual schools for their children. This community's desire to see its children, like those of fellow immigrant groups and the English community, educated in the majority language of Canada rather than the language of an insular minority clashed directly with Quebec francophones' emergent self-image as a majority community within Quebec rather than a national minority within Canada. With birth-rates declining dramatically, French Quebecers wished to tap into immigration to maintain their share of the population and the government set its sights on the Italian community, leading to the Saint-Leonard Conflict in which the Italian community sought to maintain freedom of choice in education in the face of the government's demands that they send their children to French-language schools. The Government of Quebec intended to allow English-language schooling only for Quebec's "historical English minority", a move which the Italian community viewed as discriminatory. [38] [39] The matter was eventually settled with the advent of Bill 101, which allowed anyone who arrived before 1976 to continue school in the language of their choice while requiring all new immigrants from outside Quebec (including English-speaking Canadians) to attend school in French; this last requirement, the so-called Quebec clause was eventually struck down by the Supreme Court and expanded to allow anyone who received the better part of their schooling in English in Canada to send their children to English school in Quebec (in practice, this complex formula was designed so as not to bestow a right to English education on anyone who was educated in an English-speaking country and later became a Canadian citizen).
Because of these developments, Montreal's English-speaking community today includes people of English and Commonwealth ancestry, as well as specific groups who arrived in waves before the advent of Bill 101. It is a highly diverse community, with many members having a complex and multi-layered sense of identity that does not easily conform to the Government's definitions of "anglophone", "allophone", and "francophone". [40]
The community is served by one daily newspaper, The Gazette , as well as a number of weeklies including The Suburban . Another major daily, the Montreal Star , was Canada's foremost English-language daily until it ceased publication in 1979 due to a labour dispute. The most-watched television news channel is CTV Montreal , formerly CFCF 12, and the community is also served by local desks at the CBC, Global, Citytv, and MaTV.
The English-speaking community in Montreal has traditionally been very pro-active in building up institutions in the areas of education and healthcare, most notably McGill and Concordia Universities and the McGill University Health Centre. With the advent of Bill 101, which made French the sole language of work, these institutions came to play a key role in maintaining the vitality and viability of the English-speaking community. Alliance Quebec, an advocacy group created to give voice to the concerns of the English-speaking community in the turbulent times following the election of the Parti Québécois in 1976, fought to give English-speakers the right to work as well. In a compromise, the government made provisions in Bill 101 for so-called "bilingual institutions", namely school boards, colleges and universities, and hospitals serving primarily the English-speaking community, which would be required only to ensure the provision of services in French without having to operate entirely in French as otherwise required by Bill 101. In effect, this allowed English speakers to maintain access to the workforce by giving them non-client-facing jobs, so long as the organization could still provide services in French. Because of this historical development, English-speaking Montrealers' identity is deeply entwined with the community's historical institutions. [41] Along similar lines, the Jewish General Hospital was founded by the largely-English speaking Jewish Community to provide jobs and ensure quality healthcare for the Jewish community (notably whilst serving any and all, regardless of race, religion, or creed) at a time when Jews were routinely excluded from the medical profession and discriminated against as patients within a denominational healthcare system., [42] which actually occurred before the Quiet Revolution during English rule in Montreal (and indeed all of Quebec at the time).
Prominent venues in Montreal's English-speaking community include the Centaur Theatre and the Segal Centre for Performing Arts. Notable English-speaking Montrealers include Oliver Jones, Leonard Cohen, Oscar Peterson, William Shatner, Nick Auf der Maur, Melissa Auf der Maur, Mike Bossy, and Mordecai Richler.
The English-speaking community in Montreal is geographically fragmented along its diverse ethnic lines, with much of the English-speaking population concentrated in the suburban communities of the West Island. Traditionally, the city of Westmount and Montreal's Golden Square Mile were the home of the wealthy English merchant class. Other wealthy, largely English-speaking suburbs include the towns of Hampstead and Mount Royal, as well as the more middle class city of Côte-Saint-Luc, which is traditionally associated with the city's Jewish community. The working-class Irish community was associated with the rough neighborhoods of Pointe-Saint-Charles, Verdun and Saint-Henri, which continue to host successive waves of immigrant groups as they arrive and eventually spread throughout the city. Saint Laurent Boulevard is the traditional dividing line between the so-called Two Solitudes, with the English-speaking community to the West and the French-speaking community to the East, although these lines continue to blur. Along its length, St. Laurent (also known as "The Main") has hosted a wide variety of groups that eventually came to form the city's English-speaking community, from Chinatown in the South, through Little Portugal, where Leonard Cohen had his house, and into the Mile End, which housed the Jewish community upon its first arrival and also contained numerous factories in the Schmata Industry, as described by Mordecai Richler in his work, St. Urbain's Horseman . The Greek community settled further up The Main near Outremont and the Park Extension neighbourhood near Jean Talon Street (an area which today boasts a large South Asian community), while the Italian community settled first into the neighbourhood of Ahuntsic and later, St. Leonard, Montreal North, and Riviere des Prairies.
All of these groups have English as their first language of use and may partake in the English-language or other minority school systems, but they also maintain separate cultural traditions and institutions and often operate in French at work, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly where the boundaries of Montreal's English-speaking community lie. Montréal's English-speaking population became more diverse in the 20th century. Jewish migrants from Eastern Europe arrived in large numbers in the late 19th century, followed by Italians, both groups largely aligning with the English-speaking community. Less numerous, but also important, were the many black, Chinese and South Asian migrants who increased the visible minority proportion of anglophones; today, 24.2 per cent of anglophones are visible minorities. Moreover, most anglophones in Québec are now of non-English origin. [40]
Montreal's Italian community is one of the largest in Canada, second only to Toronto. With 250,000 residents of Italian ancestry, Montreal has many Italian districts, such as Little Italy, Saint-Leonard (Città Italiana), R.D.P., and LaSalle. Italian is the 3rd most spoken language in Montreal and in the province of Quebec.
Greek is the eighth language in importance. The Greek community remains vibrant: several neighbourhoods contain a number of Greek-owned businesses and local festivals and churches add to the multicultural character of the city. The neighbouring city of Laval also has a sizable Greek community, predominantly residing in the borough of Chomedey.
In 1931 the largest non-French, non-British ethnic group in St. Eusebe and St. Gabriel was the Poles. [43]
In 1931 the largest non-French, non-British ethnic group in Cremazie was the Czecho-Slovaks. [43]
In 1931 the largest non-French, non-British ethnic group in St. Marie was the Lithuanians. [43]
In 1931 the largest non-French, non-British ethnic group in St. Georges was the Finns. [43]
Montreal's Jewish community is one of the oldest and most populous in the country, formerly first but now second to Toronto and numbering about 100,000 according to the 2001 census. The community is quite diverse, and is composed of many different Jewish ethnic divisions that arrived in Canada at different periods of time and under differing circumstances.
Jews comprised 2.4% of the total Montreal population. [44]
According to CH (Montreal's multicultural channel) there are now over 117,000 people of Arab origin in Montreal. Montreal has sizeable communities of Lebanese, Syrian and Egyptian origin. The main Arab district is the borough of Saint-Laurent, which contains an Arab population of about 32,000 (52 percent of the population).[ citation needed ]
In 1931 the Syro-Lebanese were the largest non-French and non-British ethnic group in Ville Marie. [43]
According to the 2011 Census there were 190,275 Canadians who claimed Lebanese ancestry, with the largest concentration in Montreal, making them by far the largest group of people with Arabic-speaking roots.
As of the 2001 Canadian Census there were over 16,000 Canadians of Moroccan descent in Montreal, about 75% of the total Moroccan population of Canada. [45]
As of 2005 there were almost 30,000 ethnic Armenians in Montreal. [46] The Armenians first settled Canada in 1880. The first Armenian community in Montreal originally had 225 people. [46]
There are Armenian community institutions such as schools, youth organizations, and churches. The authors of "The Chameleon Character of Multilingual Literacy Portraits: Researching in "Heritage" Language Places and Spaces" wrote that in Montreal "there is no recognizable materially bounded Armenian neighborhood"; [47] however, there are three Armenian schools in Montreal, as well as an AGBU Centre located in Ville Saint-Laurent and the Armenian Community Centre of Montréal, located in Ahuntsic-Cartierville. [48] [49]
Especially from Algeria and Morocco, this immigration is recent and almost 90,000 Berbers live in Montreal.
Additional West Indian women, from both the Francophone and Anglophone Caribbean, came to Montreal after the Domestic Immigration Program of 1955 was established. [50] Most settled in Little Burgundy.
Montreal's Haitian community of 100,000 people is the largest in Canada. Large percentages of Haitians live in Montréal-Nord, Saint-Michel and R.D.P. Today, Haitian Creole is the sixth most spoken language in Montreal and the seventh most spoken language in the province of Quebec.[ citation needed ]
Montreal is host to the second largest Latin American community in Canada at 75,400 (Toronto ranks first, with 99,290), but amongst major Canadian cities, has the highest Latin American concentration at 4.1% in comparison to Toronto's Latin American concentration of 2.9% as well as the highest concentration amongst major Canadian metro areas at 2.7% to Toronto GMA's 2.3% as of 2016. The majority of Latin American Canadians are recent immigrants arriving in the late 20th century who have come from El Salvador, Colombia, Mexico, Chile and Guatemala with relatively smaller communities from the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Ecuador. [51] Spanish is currently the fifth most spoken language in Montreal.
On the other hand, the city is also home to 4,425 Brazilians who are part of the Portuguese-speaking community of Montreal. [52]
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The term Indo-Canadian is typically used in Canada to refer to people from the many ethnic groups of the Republic of India, and other South Asian countries including Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Sometimes you will also hear the term 'East Indian.' [53] As of 1985 there were 9,000 Sikhs in the Montreal area. Around 35 of Air India Flight 182's passengers were Sikhs from Greater Montreal. [54] A memorial to AI182, located in Lachine, Montreal, opened in 2010. [55]
As of 2006 Montreal has Canada's third largest ethnic Chinese population at 72,000 members. [56] As of 2005 there is an estimate of 42,765 ethnic Chinese in Montreal. Of the ethnic minorities, the Chinese are the fourth largest. National origins include Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and Singapore. [57]
The South Shore suburb of Brossard in particular has a high ethnic Chinese population, at 12% of its population. [58] Montreal also has a small Chinatown sandwiched in between Old Montreal, the Quartier international and downtown.
As of 2005 Sinoquebec is the newest Chinese-language newspaper in Montreal. [59] Others are Les Presses Chinoises and Sept Days .
Several Chinese-language special schools are in Montreal. [59] The Montreal Chinese Hospital is located in the city.
As of 2005 there were an estimated 2,360 ethnic Japanese in Montreal. [60] As of 2003 there was no particular place where ethnic Japanese were concentrated, [61] E. Bourgault wrote in Perspectives on the Japanese Canadian Experience in Quebec (Repartir à zéro: Perspectives sur l'expérience des Canadiens d'origine japonaise au Québec) that Japanese in Montreal historically "lived relatively anonymously" and that they "have avoided visible concentration as a collective, hoping to blend in, unnoticed into the larger population." [62]
As of 1999 the Communauté Khmere du Canada (Khmer Community Association) and the Pagode Khmer du Canada (Khmer Buddhist Temple) cooperate with one another. [63]
Some Muslim Cham people also moved to Montreal. [64]
As of 1999 in Montreal duan chee give active help in resolving emotional issues with Khmer women, while this is not the case with duan chee in Toronto. [65]
This section needs to be updated.(January 2024) |
In terms of mother language (first language learned), the 2006 census reported that in the Greater Montreal Area, 66.5% spoke French as a first language, followed by English at 13.2%, while 0.8% spoke both as a first language. [66] The remaining 22.5% of Montreal-area residents are allophones, speaking languages including Italian (3.5%), Arabic (3.1%), Spanish (2.6%), Haitian Creole (1.3%), Chinese (1.2%), Greek (1.2%), Portuguese (0.8%), Romanian (0.7%), Vietnamese (0.7%), and Russian (0.5%). [66] In terms of additional languages spoken, a unique feature of Montreal among Canadian cities, noted by Statistics Canada, is the working knowledge of both French and English possessed by most of its residents.
1996 [67] | 2001 [68] | 2006 [69] | 2011 [70] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
French | 71.2% | 72.1% | 70.5% | 70.4% | |
English | 15.4% | 14.8% | 14.9% | 14.0% | |
Other language | 13.4% | 13.1% | 14.6% | 16.6% | |
Note that percentages add up to more than 100% because some people speak two or more languages at home. |
Language | Greater Montreal | Quebec | Canada |
---|---|---|---|
French | 65.8% | 79.7% | 22.0% |
English | 13.2% | 9.0% | 58.6% |
Arabic | 3.9% | 2.1% | 1.1% |
Spanish | 3.1% | 1.8% | 1.3% |
Italian | 3.1% | 1.6% | 1.3% |
Creole | 1.5% | 0.8% | 0.2% |
Greek | 1.1% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
Chinese | 1.1% | 0.6% | 1.3% |
Portuguese | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.7% |
Romanian | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.3% |
Vietnamese | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.5% |
Russian | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
Persian | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
Tagalog | 0.4% | 0.2% | 1.2% |
Armenian | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
Polish | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.6% |
Tamil | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.4% |
Punjabi | 0.3% | 0.2% | 1.4% |
German | 0.3% | 0.2% | 1.3% |
Bengali | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Cantonese | 0.3% | 0.1% | 1.2% |
Urdu | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.6% |
Mandarin | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.8% |
Canada Census Mother Tongue - Greater Montreal, Quebec [72] | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Census | Total | French | English | French & English | Other | |||||||||||||
Year | Responses | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | |||||
2021 | 4,246,060 | 2,543,265 | 0.34% | 59.89% | 474,735 | 6.7% | 11.18% | 81,470 | 72.78% | 1.9% | 990,820 | 8.8% | 23.33% | |||||
2016 | 4,053,355 | 2,551,955 | 6.1% | 62.96% | 444,955 | 1.1% | 10.97% | 47,150 | 14.89% | 1.16% | 910,605 | 8.57% | 22.47% | |||||
2011 | 3,785,915 | 2,395,525 | 2.8% | 63.27% | 439,845 | 3.1% | 11.62% | 40,400 | 35% | 1.07% | 832,245 | 3% | 21.98% | |||||
2006 | 3,588,520 | 2,328,400 | 2.27% | 64.88% | 425,635 | 4% | 11.86% | 26,855 | 11.35% | 0.75% | 807,630 | 17.3% | 22.5% | |||||
2001 | 3,380,645 | 2,275,035 | 3.12% | 67.29% | 408,185 | 4.4% | 12.1% | 29,935 | 2.05% | 0.89% | 667,485 | 12.89% | 19.74% | |||||
1996 | 3,287,645 | 2,204,285 | 5.03% | 67.04% | 426,600 | 4.4% | 12.9% | 30,550 | 73.9% | 0.9% | 581,450 | 21.5% | 17.68% | |||||
1991 | 3,127,245 | 2,093,395 | 5.7% | 66.94% | 445,515 | 2.6% | 14.2% | 53,140 | 66.7% | 1.6% | 456,670 | 24.5% | 14.6% | |||||
1986 | 2,921,357 | 1,974,115 | 1.9% | 67.76% | 433,095 | 20.09% | 14.82% | 88,585 | n/a | 3.03% | 344,970 | n/a | 11.8% | |||||
1981 | 2,828,349 | 1,936,200 | n/a | 68.24% | 520,485 | n/a | 18.3% | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Canada Census Mother Tongue – Montreal, Quebec [72] | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Census | Total | French | English | French and English | Other | |||||||||||||
Year | Responses | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | |||||
2016 | 1,680,910 | 833,280 | 1.75% | 49.57% | 208,140 | 0.93% | 12.38% | 20,705 | 18.79% | 1.27% | 559,035 | 4.19% | 34.34% | |||||
2011 | 1,627,945 | 818,970 | 1.86% | 50.3% | 206,210 | 3.1% | 12.67% | 17,430 | 44.58% | 1.07% | 536,560 | 1.93% | 32.30% | |||||
2006 | 1,593,725 | 834,520 | 4.45% | 52.36% | 200,000 | 2.92% | 12.5% | 12,055 | 28.27% | 0.75% | 547,150 | 13.01% | 34.33% | |||||
2001 | 1,608,024 | 873,564 | 2.07% | 54.32% | 206,025 | 4.21% | 12.81% | 16,807 | 14.02% | 1.04% | 484,165 | 13.72% | 30.1% | |||||
1996 | 1,569,437 | 855,780 | n/a | 54.53% | 215,100 | n/a | 13.7% | 14,740 | n/a | 0.94% | 425,725 | n/a | 27.12% |
Top 30 languages Montréal, 2016 [73] | Population | % |
---|---|---|
French | 833,280 | 52.1 |
English | 208,140 | 13.0 |
Arabic | 95,165 | 5.9 |
Spanish | 72,760 | 4.5 |
Italian | 67,800 | 4.2 |
Creole | 36,160 | 2.3 |
Mandarin | 26,245 | 1.6 |
Vietnamese | 18,115 | 1.1 |
Portuguese | 17,130 | 1.1 |
Greek | 16,935 | 1.1 |
Romanian | 15,230 | 1.0 |
Russian | 14,685 | 0.9 |
Cantonese | 14,435 | 0.9 |
Farsi | 12,585 | 0.8 |
Tagalog (Filipino) | 10,770 | 0.7 |
Tamil | 9,595 | 0.6 |
Bengali | 9,290 | 0.6 |
Kabyle | 8,460 | 0.5 |
Panjabi (Punjabi) | 7,300 | 0.5 |
Polish | 7,000 | 0.4 |
Urdu | 6,580 | 0.4 |
Armenian | 6,330 | 0.4 |
Yiddish | 6,030 | 0.4 |
Khmer (Cambodian) | 4,875 | 0.3 |
Turkish | 4,535 | 0.3 |
Gujarati | 4,075 | 0.3 |
German | 3,990 | 0.2 |
Bulgarian | 3,625 | 0.2 |
Korean | 3,120 | 0.2 |
Ukrainian | 2,995 | 0.2 |
The Greater Montreal Area is predominantly Roman Catholic; however, weekly church attendance in Quebec is among the lowest in Canada. [75] Historically Montreal has been a centre of Catholicism in North America with its numerous seminaries and churches, including the Notre-Dame Basilica, the Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde, and Saint Joseph's Oratory. Some 62.4% of the total population is Christian, [76] largely Roman Catholic (52.8%), primarily due to descendants of original French settlers, and others of Italian and Irish origins. Protestants which include Anglican, United Church, Lutheran, owing to British and German immigration, and other denominations number 5.90%, with a further 3.7% consisting mostly of Orthodox Christians, fuelled by a large Greek population. There is also a number of Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox parishes. Islam is the largest non-Christian religious group, with 154,540 members, [77] the second-largest concentration of Muslims in Canada at 9.6%. The Jewish community in Montreal has a population of 90,780. In cities such as Côte Saint-Luc and Hampstead, Jewish people constitute the majority, or a substantial part of the population. As recently as 1971 the Jewish community in Greater Montreal was as high as 109,480. [3] Political and economic uncertainties led many to leave Montreal and the province of Quebec. [78]
The religious breakdown of the population of Montreal is:
Religion | Population | Percentage (%) |
---|---|---|
Christianity | 853,205 | 49.5% |
No religious affiliation | 534,180 | 31.0% |
Islam | 218,395 | 12.7% |
Judaism | 35,930 | 2.1% |
Hinduism | 30,430 | 1.8% |
Buddhism | 26,395 | 1.5% |
Sikhism | 15,630 | 0.9% |
Other religions | 9065 | 0.5% |
Religious group | 2021 [80] | 2011 [81] | 2001 [82] | 1991 [83] [84] | 1981 [85] [86] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
Christianity | 2,431,435 | 57.8% | 2,790,920 | 74.38% | 2,859,010 | 84.57% | 2,737,050 | 88.55% | 2,578,005 | 92.14% |
Irreligion | 1,200,090 | 28.53% | 560,650 | 14.94% | 258,295 | 7.64% | 167,060 | 5.4% | 88,650 | 3.17% |
Islam | 365,675 | 8.69% | 221,040 | 5.89% | 100,185 | 2.96% | 41,215 | 1.33% | 10,935 | 0.39% |
Judaism | 82,075 | 1.95% | 83,200 | 2.22% | 88,765 | 2.63% | 96,710 | 3.13% | 101,365 | 3.62% |
Hinduism | 45,565 | 1.08% | 32,280 | 0.86% | 24,075 | 0.71% | 13,775 | 0.45% | 6,415 | 0.23% |
Buddhism | 42,540 | 1.01% | 47,350 | 1.26% | 37,840 | 1.12% | 27,905 | 0.9% | 9,165 | 0.33% |
Sikhism | 22,990 | 0.55% | 9,205 | 0.25% | 7,930 | 0.23% | 3,880 | 0.13% | 1,555 | 0.06% |
Indigenous spirituality | 290 | 0.01% | 200 | 0.01% | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Other | 15,785 | 0.38% | 7,620 | 0.2% | 4,550 | 0.13% | 3,515 | 0.11% | 1,950 | 0.07% |
Total responses | 4,206,450 | 98.01% | 3,752,475 | 95.38% | 3,380,645 | 98.67% | 3,091,115 | 98.84% | 2,798,040 | 98.93% |
Total population | 4,291,732 | 100% | 3,934,078 | 100% | 3,426,350 | 100% | 3,127,242 | 100% | 2,828,349 | 100% |
Statistics Canada conducts a country-wide census that collects demographic data every five years on the first and sixth year of each decade. The 2021 Canadian census enumerated a total population of 36,991,981, an increase of around 5.2 percent over the 2016 figure. It is estimated that Canada's population surpassed 40 million in 2023 and 41 million in 2024. Between 1990 and 2008, the population increased by 5.6 million, equivalent to 20.4 percent overall growth. The main driver of population growth is immigration, with 6.2% of the country's population being made up of temporary residents as of 2023, or about 2.5 million people. Between 2011 and May 2016, Canada's population grew by 1.7 million people, with immigrants accounting for two-thirds of the increase.
The demographics of Quebec constitutes a complex and sensitive issue, especially as it relates to the National question. Quebec is the only one of Canada's provinces to feature a francophone (French-speaking) majority, and where anglophones (English-speakers) constitute an officially recognized minority group. According to the 2011 census, French is spoken by more than 85.5% of the population while this number rises to 88% for children under 15 years old. According to the 2011 census, 95% of Quebec's people are able to conduct a conversation in French, with less than 5% of the population not able to speak French.
A visible minority is defined by the Government of Canada as "persons, other than aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour". The term is used primarily as a demographic category by Statistics Canada, in connection with that country's Employment Equity policies. The qualifier "visible" was chosen by the Canadian authorities as a way to single out newer immigrant minorities from both Aboriginal Canadians and other "older" minorities distinguishable by language and religion, which are "invisible" traits.
Greater Montreal is the most populous metropolitan area in Quebec and the second most populous in Canada after Greater Toronto. In 2015, Statistics Canada identified Montreal's Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) as 4,258.31 square kilometres (1,644.14 sq mi) with a population of 4,027,100, almost half that of the province.
South Asian Canadians are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to South Asia or the Indian subcontinent, which includes the nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. The term also includes immigrants from South Asian communities in East and South Africa, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Fiji, Mauritius, and the rest of the world.
Lebanese Canadians are Canadians of Lebanese origin. According to the 2016 census there were 219,555 Canadians who claimed Lebanese ancestry, showing an increase compared to the 2006 census, making them by far the largest group of people with Arabic-speaking roots. As of the 2016 census, they are also one of the largest communities of Asian origin in the country.
The demographics of Toronto, Ontario, Canada make Toronto one of the most multicultural and multiracial cities in the world. In 2021, 57.0 percent of the residents of the metropolitan area belonged to a visible minority group, compared with 51.4 percent in 2016, and 13.6 percent in 1981. Toronto also has established ethnic neighbourhoods such as the multiple Chinatowns, Corso Italia, Little Italy, Little India, Greektown, Koreatown, Little Tokyo, Little Jamaica, Little Portugal, Little Malta, Roncesvalles (Polish), and Bloor West Village (Ukrainian), all of which celebrate the city's multiculturalism. Data from the suburban municipalities are also included for some metrics as most of these municipalities are part of the Toronto CMA.
The demographics of Metro Vancouver indicate a multicultural and multiracial region. Metro Vancouver is a metropolitan area, with its major urban centre being Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Vancouver census metropolitan area, as defined by Statistics Canada, encompasses roughly the same territory as the Metro Vancouver Regional District, a regional district in British Columbia. The regional district includes 23 local authorities. Figures provided here are for the Vancouver census metropolitan area and not for the City of Vancouver.
The population withinRegina, Saskatchewan's metropolitan area was 236,481 as of 2016 Canada Census with an annual growth rate of 2.4%.
British Columbia is a Canadian province with a population of about 5.6 million people. The province represents about 13.2% of the population of the Canadian population. Most of the population is between the ages of 15 and 49. About 60 percent of British Columbians have European descent with significant Asian and Aboriginal minorities. Just under 30% of British Columbians are immigrants. Over half of the population is irreligious, with Christianity and Sikhism being the most followed religions.
Ontario, one of the 13 provinces and territories of Canada, is located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province by a large margin, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all Canadians, and is the second-largest province in total area. Ontario is fourth-largest in total area when the territories of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are included. It is home to the nation's capital city, Ottawa, and the nation's most populous city, Toronto.
Alberta has experienced a relatively high rate of growth in recent years, due in large part to its economy. Between 2003 and 2004, the province saw high birthrates, relatively high immigration, and a high rate of interprovincial migration when compared to other provinces. Approximately 81% of the population live in urban areas and only about 19% live in rural areas. The Calgary–Edmonton Corridor is the most urbanized area in Alberta and is one of Canada's four most urban regions. Many of Alberta's cities and towns have also experienced high rates of growth in recent history. From a population of 73,022 in 1901, Alberta has grown to 4,262,635 in 2021 and in the process has gone from less than 1.5% of Canada's population to 11.5%. It is the fourth most populated province in Canada. Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, the Alberta population grew by 4.8%.
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province. According to the 2011 National Household Survey, the largest ethnic group consists of people of Scottish descent (39.2%), followed by English (31.1%), Irish (30.4%), French (21.1%), German (5.2%), and Dutch (3.1%) descent. Prince Edward Island is mostly a white community and there are few visible minorities. Chinese people are the largest visible minority group of Prince Edward Island, comprising 1.3% of the province's population. Almost half of respondents identified their ethnicity as "Canadian." Prince Edward Island is by a strong margin the most Celtic and specifically the most Scottish province in Canada and perhaps the most Scottish place (ethnically) in the world, outside Scotland. 38% of islanders claim Scottish ancestry, but this is an underestimate and it is thought that almost 50% of islanders have Scottish roots. When combined with Irish and Welsh, almost 80% of islanders are of some Celtic stock, albeit most families have resided in PEI for at least two centuries. Few places outside Europe can claim such a homogeneous Celtic ethnic background. The only other jurisdiction in North America with such a high percentage of British Isles heritage is Newfoundland.
Saskatchewan is the middle province of Canada's three Prairie provinces. It has an area of 651,900 km2 (251,700 mi2) and a population of 1,132,505 (Saskatchewanians) as of 2021. Saskatchewan's population is made of 50.3% women and 49.7% men. Most of its population lives in the Southern half of the province.
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and the only officially bilingual province in the country. The provincial Department of Finance estimates that the province's population in 2006 was 729,997 of which the majority is English-speaking but with a substantial French-speaking minority of mostly Acadian origin.
According to the 2021 census, the City of Edmonton had a population of 1,010,899 residents, compared to 4,262,635 for all of Alberta, Canada. The total population of the Edmonton census metropolitan area (CMA) was 1,418,118, making it the sixth-largest CMA in Canada.
The Saskatoon region is the greater metropolitan area of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. As of 2021 the Statistics Canada estimates the region's population to be 317,480 people.
In the 2021 Census, the City of Calgary had a population of 1,306,784 residents, representing 30.7% of the 4,262,635 residents in all of Alberta, and 3.5% compared to a population of 36,991,981 in all of Canada. The total population of the Calgary census metropolitan area (CMA) was 1,481,806. Calgary is the largest city in Alberta, and the third-largest municipality and fifth-largest metropolitan area in Canada, as of 2021.
The demographics of Winnipeg reveal the city to be a typically Canadian one: multicultural and multilingual. Winnipeg is also prominent in the size and ratio of its First Nations population, which plays an important part in the city's makeup. About 12.4% of Winnipeggers are of Indigenous descent, which vastly exceeds the national average of 5.0%.
General:
On specific ethnic groups: